Arts & Music Festival

I got involved in our village Arts & Music Festival for the first time in 2011.

The Festival runs for 4 days in July (Thursday evening until Sunday ) and showcases a mixture of arts and music from the area and some from overseas.

Each evening is themed (Folk on Thursday, Young Bands on Friday, Rock, Blues and Jazz on Saturday and choral, classical and chamber on Sunday).

It takes place on the village green attracts about 4,000 visitors and is completely free….

I joined the committee to ensure that we continue to run the event – it was the 10th anniversary in 2011 and the previous committee all wanted to stand down as it had taken over their lives a little. In the first 10-years they had achieved a huge amount and every year (though not the aim of the event) all surplus cash was donated to local charities.

From 2012 we want to take this to the next level and attract more sponsorship because we are registering the event as a charity and every donation now becomes more important.

Last year I was part of the team that managed the whole site, the exhibitors and the logistics for the marquees, stages and security. In 2012 I will be doing the same.

It is four 16-hour days and there is little chance to enjoy the music or the other art installations, but everyone’s thanks and their clear enjoyment is reward enough.

It is getting harder each year to put on these sort of events – the police and authorities want to continually put hurdles in the way but we are determined to keep this event on the green and free.

I am designing and launching a new website for the event which will go ‘live’ shortly.